Anyone got any ideas to stop salad going soggy?

southernscouser

I basically make up a big bowl of salad at the start of the week, but come the end it get's a bit soggy.

Think the water is coming from the cucumber and/or peppers.

Now I have two options as I see it. I can cut the middle out of the cucumber which seems a shame as I like it, or I need to find a way of storing it so the salad isn't sitting in the water! :undecided

Any ideas?

shandypants5

Freez it..























Only joking.. Dont,,,, I have NO idea sorri, I is CARRRNIVore

jexygirl

to make salad last longer we de seed (cut the centre out of) the cucumber... sorry :S It makes it go off faster, as does using a metal knife on lettuce so Im told. I have a plastic knife for lettuce as im told as soon as you touch it with a metal one it starts oxidising. Also lay it into a sink of water, rather than run water onto it as it bruises. All stuff im told, so dont shoot me!
Jex

shandypants5

jexygirl wrote: »

to make salad last longer we de seed (cut the centre out of) the cucumber... sorry :S It makes it go off faster, as does using a metal knife on lettuce so Im told. I have a plastic knife for lettuce as im told as soon as you touch it with a metal one it starts oxidising. Also lay it into a sink of water, rather than run water onto it as it bruises. All stuff im told, so dont shoot me!
Jex

*Takes the safety off his gun.*

boredofbeingathome

There are some containers made for keeping salad fresh. I use some little green bags from Lakeland plastics which keep a lot of things fresh in the fridge.

http://www.lakeland.co.uk/stayfresh-longer-bags/F/C/storing-preserving/C/storing-preserving-food-bags/product/1932_1094_1092

I did get them a bit cheaper than advertised here and i keep re using them.

moggylover

Tupperware used to do a little insert (like a sort of strainer thingy:o sorry can't think what to call it because it is late) that goes in the bottom of a dish that has a sealable lid to it. I have one of these and they are superb and bagged salad lasts very well in it, often over a week (so long as I remember to wipe the condensation off the lid of the bowl when I use any).

Suspect you might find one on eBay - will have a look and post a link if I find one:D


This one will do it:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Tupperware-Salad-Crisper_W0QQitemZ320476023850QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_HomeGarden_Kitchen_FoodStorage_GL?hash=item4a9ddc0c2a

This one is better:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VINTAGE-TUPPERWARE-LETTUCE-SALAD-CRISPER_W0QQitemZ250565079218QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_HomeGarden_Kitchen_FoodStorage_GL?hash=item3a56d7b0b2

but not quite the item I was on about. Will carry on having a look


This is the one! The little plastic seive thing is wonderful although the bowl is slightly different to the one I have.

Only for the leaf salad though - you cannot cut up all the cucumber and tomato and so forth and throw that in.

JBD

Do you mean you cut up all the vegetables and mix them at the start of the week? If this is the case then no wonder it is getting watery. Personally I would only make salad for each meal then I know it is fresh. Also you can leave the middle in the cucumber. If you have to make the salad in advance then do not add any dressing as this will make it limp. You should only add dressing just before serving. If I had to make salad up in advance then I would store it in a tupperware box preferably in the fridge and definitely throw any left over at the end of the day.

BitterAndTwisted

As soon as you cut a vegetable it starts loosing its vitamins as well. This is another reason to make salad daily. Doesn't take that long, it's only a five-minute job, max.

My_Feet_Hurt

I read a post somewhere on this site that you can put an down-turned saucer in the bottom of your salad bowl and any water that comes out can trickle down the sides of the bowl past the saucer and keep your salad drier for longer.

I though, am a meal-at-a-time salad user.

m

parsonswife8

Why not add a bit of cucumber every day instead of at the beginning? I also put a double layer of paper towel across the top of the salad and seal it in a tupperware bowl, with the lid that you press down in the middle. Then I store it upside down so the salad rests on the paper towel.
This seems to keep it fresh for longer.

foxgloves

I wouldn't make a big salad myself and expect it to last more than a day or two, I think quite a few salad ingredients go a bit soggy as they contain so much water. However, if I am preparing a lettuce, or I've cut loads of salad leaves from the garden, I find that they keep pretty well if you wash them gently, shake as much water off as possible, take what you want to use for that meal, then loosely wrap the rest in a newspaper parcel. Works better with some leaves than others & obviously depends how fresh it is when you wrap it, but I find this works for me.